Terrorist attacks in Lahore on May 28, 2010

The terrorist attacks on May 28, 2010 in Lahore were two almost simultaneous attacks on two mosques of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat during Friday prayers , killing 86 Ahmadi Muslims and injuring more than 120. After the first attack, the attackers were held hostage for hours. The mosques are named “Bait-un-Noor” in the Model Town district and “Bait-ul-Zikr” in the Garhi Shahu district. The Pakistani Therik-e-Taliban Punjab claimed responsibility for the attacks .

background

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (AMJ) is a religious community that emerged from the Ahmadiyya movement. The Ahmadiyya movement was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian . Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be the “ mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century”, the “promised messiah ”, the “ Mahdi of the end times ” expected by Muslims and a “ prophet ( subordinate to Mohammed )”.

In Pakistan, Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims with the constitutional amendment of September 7, 1974 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto . During the regime of General Zia-ul-Haq , Ahmadis were forbidden to describe themselves as Muslims and to practice the manners and customs of Islam . Under Zia-ul-Haq on April 26, 1984 with the "Ordinance XX" the free practice of religion was severely restricted. Therefore, the government of Pakistan is jointly responsible for the terrorist attacks, because on the one hand it has been persecuting the religious community for years and on the other hand it does not grant any protection. According to the Minority Rights Group International, Pakistan has the world's highest growth in threats against minorities and is among other things the 6th most dangerous country for minorities in the world.

Investigations

Rana Sana Ullah Khan, Justice Minister of Punjab Province, confirmed that the attackers were with the Tablighi Jamaat , a Muslim proselytizing movement headquartered in Raiwind, near Lahore , before the attack . Many experts see the Tablighi Jamaat as an “antechamber” for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. For example, Interior Senator Ehrhart Körting (SPD) described the Tablighi Jamaat as a “water heater” for Islamist assassins in London. In addition, according to the 2006 report on the Protection of the Constitution, there is a risk that the Tablighi Jamaat will promote Islamic radicalization processes due to its strict understanding of Islam and its worldwide missionary activities. Justice Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan also added that the attackers were likely trained in Waziristan .

Reactions

In a joint statement with three United Nations human rights experts , UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon said: “Members of this religious community have faced many threats, discrimination and violence in Pakistan. There is a real danger that similar violence can recur until advocacy of incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence is stopped. The government must take every single step to ensure the safety of members of all religious communities and their religious sites and to avoid a repetition of today's fatal incident. "

In a statement issued after the attacks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik admitted that militant groups had holed up in southern Punjab and would destabilize the country from there. Rehman Malik added, however, that a military offensive against the militants in southern Punjab would be ruled out.

Arrests

On July 5, 2010, the Pakistani police arrested 6 men who were members of the already banned terrorist organization Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami . The men were suspected of having something to do with the attack. The men were in possession of 18,000 kg of explosives, 21 grenades and 6 AK-47 rifles.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Jane Perlez: Attackers Hit Mosques of Islamic Sect in Pakistan. In: The New York Times. May 28, 2010, accessed May 28, 2010

↑ More than 70 Ahmadiya die in attacks on mosques belonging to the religious minority - Pakistan's government shares responsibility for violence. ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the website of the "Society for Threatened Peoples" @1@ 2
↑ Death toll rises to 98 after Lahore attacks. at: edition.cnn.com
↑ Pakistan's Christians protest lack of protection after deadly rampage. In: The Christian Science Monitor . August 3, 2009.
↑ In suspicious proximity to terror. In: Tagesspiegel. August 25, 2006.
^ Constitutional Protection Report 2006, Berlin 2007, ISSN 0177-0357 , p. 256.